Saint Ignatius of Loyola – a caring guide. On two manuscripts of Jan Kleczyński SJ (1705–1774)
Abstract
The aim of the article is to acquaint contemporary readers with thus far unpublished and never discussed manuscripts of Jan Kleczyński (1705– 1774), a Jesuit associated with the Kraków centre. Source materials came from the preserved in the Library of Ossoliński National Institute’s manuscripts (sign. 719/I), located in the „Miscellanea z lat 1632–1775, odnoszące się przeważnie do zakonu jezuitów i spraw kościelnych w Polsce” [“Miscellanea from 1632–1775, primarily relating to the Jesuit Order and church matters in Poland”] collection. Kleczyński’s works: „Aplauz powinszowny…” [“Congratulatory Applause...”] and „Relacyja Ciekawa o Powołaniu cudownym pewnego szlachetnego Młodziana do Zakonu Towarzystwa Jezusowego” [“A Curious Account About the Miraculous Vocation of a Noble Youth to the Order of the Society of Jesus”] not only make it possible to view Katarzyna and Ewaryst Kuropatnicki as benefactors of the Jesuits. They also present – two years before the dissolution of the Society of Jesus in Poland (1773) – the philosophy of the Jesuit way of life. Kleczyński refers not only to the models of speeches formulation, known from ancient philosophy and literature, which were studied in Jesuit colleges due to the Ratio studiorum program. He also uses the means of depiction distinctive for the baroque “poetry of emotions.” The author presents in detail the aspects of both interrelated manuscripts. Common to them – despite different functions and genological classifications – is the trait of imitating the saints – Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Ignatius. In “Relacya...”, due to the use of the baroque concept of a vision dream, we explore the images of the afterlife of that time: hell and heaven. However, the contact with Saint Ignatius and the journey made with him turn out to be of key importance for the protagonist’s vocation to religious life. In the vision dream, Loyola becomes both a guide and a role model. The author emphasizes the importance of this motif, referring to the latest works on the writings of Saint Ignatius, emphasizing the importance of imitation (distinguishing between seguir and imitar) in recognizing one’s mission.
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